This invention relates to a garment and more particularly, to a garment for the lower part of the human torso, such as jeans, pants, skirts or shorts.
The garment manufacturing industry has tong recognized that some members of the public require garment designs that camouflage or make less noticeable wide hips, protruding bellies or other imperfections that may be causing discomfort to the person. Various examples of garments that support lower abdominal area are disclosed in patents issued in the United States. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,158 issued on May 25, 1965 to Gattuso for xe2x80x9cAdjustable and Detachable, Lower Abdominal Support for Trousersxe2x80x9d discloses a garment adapted for supporting a lower distended abdomen. The garment has an insert with an elasticized wedge which is generally fabricated from a relatively heavy, non-stretching material with stiffening stays to prevent rolling or cupping.
Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,926 issued on Jul. 29, 1969 to Baco et al. for xe2x80x9cAbdomen-Compressor for Trousers.xe2x80x9d The device of the ""926 patent shows a front fastener and an exterior waist portion extending from the fastener along the front and sides of the trousers to the rear thereof Inwardly of the exterior waist portion, the trousers have an outer waistband and an inner waistband, which is surrounded by and extends along the outer waistband. The abdomen-compressor is fixedly secured to the inner waistband at the region of the side of the trousers and extends forwardly from the sides to the area of the torso behind the front fastener.
Some of the other known devices have bulky inserts that have a permanent position inside the garment. If the user is experiencing trouble with a particular area below the waistline, the known devices have no vertical adjustability to provide support in just the right place. It is possible that some users, following surgery, will need support in the lowermost portion of the abdomen, while others experience problems closer to the waist level.
The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of a garment with a detachable insert for supporting and compressing lower abdomen of the wearer at the lever selected by the user.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a garment with a detachable insert for compressing lower abdomen of the wearer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a supporting insert for jeans, trousers and other similar articles of clothing that can be removed for cleaning and easily positioned inside the garment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a garment that can be easily retrofitted for use with the supporting insert for compressing lower abdomen area.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a kit for retrofitting a regular garment to an abdomen-supporting garment in an easy and inexpensive manner.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a garment that has side seams and a waistline outfitted with a support device that is detachably secured to the garment. The support device has a pair of elongated flexible strips provided with a plurality of spaced-apart eye fasteners secured along one vertical edge of each strip. Each flexible strip is fixedly secured to the garment along an inside side seam of the garment.
The support device also has a pair of flexible resilient stretchable support panels that is detachably securable to the elongated strips. Each support panel has one vertical end along which a plurality of spaced-apart hook fasteners are secured. An opposite vertical end of each support panel is provided with strips of hook and loop fasteners to allow the panels to be brought together and secured, thereby closing the supporting device and covering a lower abdomen of the user.
In a preferred embodiment, the flexible, eye fastener-containing strips are longer than corresponding vertical ends of the support panels to allow the user to adjust position of the supporting device up or down in relation to the waistline. The garment may be a pair of slacks, a pair of jeans, a skirt, a dress, etc. The flexible strips may be attached to the garment by stitching or gluing. A kit for retrofitting a regular garment into an abdomen-supporting garment contains two flexible strips and two supporting panels. Instructions are provided for securing the flexible strips and for adjusting position of the panels.
The supporting device, when incorporated into the garment, is entirely concealed by the front of the garment. At the same time, the supporting device supports the lower abdomen, similar to a girdle, but without the inconvenience or expense of the girdle.